Raye staying upstairs

49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye will stay in the coaches booth after all, a team source said before tonight’s Monday night Football home opener against the Saints.

Niners coach Mike Singletary considered moving Raye to the sideline to call plays into Smith himself after the season-opening debacle in Seattle, where the offense struggled with getting plays sent from Raye in the booth to quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson (who has the helmet radio) on the sideline to Smith’s helmet radio before it turned off with 15 seconds left on the play clock. (that’s when it turns off).

Raye voiced his aversion to being on the sideline Thursday, saying the emotion of the sideline and unfiltered access to his ears by players could be a distraction. It’s worth noting, though, that Saints coach Sean Payton calls his offensive plays from the sideline.

So how are the 49ers going to remedy their communication problems from Raye to Smith?

Smith is going to play with a play sheet on his wrist, as he did during practice all week. Instead of calling in complicated plays, the 49ers simplify the process by calling in matching numbers for Smith to identify. This takes less time to relay from upstairs.

Some 49ers have brushed this communication thing off as something that happens everywhere, and it does. The difference is, this was such a problem, that Singletary scrapped their play-calling system and installed a new, briefer, more user-friendly system after just one game.

So, clearly they think it’s a real issue, overblown or otherwise. Seeing that they are playing at home, and not at boisterous Qwest Field, it’s hard to imagine the 49ers having many problems getting plays called in against the Saints.